Predicament

[size=100:pn59weui]Synopsis:

A crime comedy set in 1930s New Zealand in which a naive teenager conspires with two misfits to photograph and blackmail wealthy, adulterous couples. Predicament stars Jemaine Clement as the creepy Spook, The Lovely Bones' Rose McIver as the lusted-after Maybelle, as well as Australian comedian Heath Franklin, Wellington theatre actor Hayden Frost and musician Tim Finn.

Shot in the ‘Naki, this is the only remaining unfilmed novel by late Hawera author Ronald Hugh Morrieson (Came a Hot Friday). Director Jason Stutter has had a long collaboration with Clement, from his debut feature Tongan Ninja through to 2009's Diagnosis: Death.

[size=100:pn59weui]
IE: What is next for you?

Jason: We're currently putting together the finance to shoot a comedy-crime-caper feature film, which has Jemaine Clement from HBO's Flight of the Conchords attached. The New Zealand Film Commission have also funded the writing of a couple of my feature treatments.

[size=100:pn59weui]
The Ronald Hugh Morrieson novel Predicament will be filmed in South Taranaki in July-August this year.

A Wellington company, Midnight Productions, has announced plans to make a 90-minute feature film on a budget believed to be between $5 million and $6 million.

The South Taranaki District Council has committed $200,000 to the project and is confident nothing will go wrong.

The investment was made conditional on the movie being filmed in South Taranaki and all funds being raised, says Mayor Ross Dunlop.

"
If the film makes enough money we could get ours back with interest and there's a strong possibility of that, but we think the benefits for the district will be substantial anyway,"
he says.

The NZ Film Commission is also putting money into the film.

Predicament was published in 1974 by the Dunmore Press and is the only one as yet unfilmed of Morrieson's four novels (Came A Hot Friday, Pallet On The Floor and The Scarecrow).

It will be filmed in and around Hawera and Eltham. Production people will start arriving in about two weeks. All cast and crew will be based locally for the seven weeks of filming.

The company publicist, Sue May, declined to name any actors, saying casting and other details will be announced later. However, others associated with the project say a well known star has been signed and the Taranaki Daily News understands Hawera-born actress Nicola Kawana also has a role.

The director is Jason Stutter, who wrote the screenplay and whose latest film Diagnosis Death has been making sales at the Cannes film festival. The producer is Sue Rogers (Home by Christmas, Forgotten Silver, Heaven). Stutter has been working on the project for five years.

The STDC was first approached in early 2007 and reserved the money in its economic development fund after two meetings with the director and producer and their lawyers and financiers. STDC chief executive Craig Stevenson says once all documentation is signed off, the money will be paid into a commercial lawyer's trust account and released to the producer as required.

"
Effectively our money is a grant but there is a possibility of a return if it does well at the box office. The real benefit is the multiplier effect which could be several million dollars into the local economy,"
he said.

"
We said we were not interested in being involved unless it was all go, with the star signed up, director organised and money secured. We have enough checks and balances to be confident it will go ahead. We haven't paid them a cent yet."


This approach contrasts with the aborted Charles Upham movie, which absorbed at least $300,000 of Taranaki public money and an unrevealed amount of private investor money when the company was put into receivership.

Ad Feedback Mr Dunlop says what's special about the project and what appealed to him "
is that this is a South Taranaki story, to be filmed in the area where the author lived and where the action happens in the book. That must be fairly unique"
.

Venture Taranaki was integral to the district securing the project.

VT film project manager Peter Avery said: "
It's going to be very exciting. It will be heavy on atmosphere and will have wide appeal but will be aimed particularly at a young audience. Jason has written a terrific screenplay. I know who the actors will be and I can't talk about it but you'll be surprised."
It's very much a Kiwi-sized budget so I hope the local suppliers and contractors will price their services accordingly.

"
It's going to be a good investment in terms of creating some stimulus for the local economy, investing in a piece of cultural property and the beneficial flow-ons from that. South Taranaki is pretty much known as an economic mono-culture so it will have another string to its bow."


The production company purchased the filming rights from the publisher, Dunmore Press. Half of that goes to Morrieson's three cousins, who all live in Hawera Heather Engelen, Colleen Notman and Shirley Rumney.

Mrs Engelen says they get "
a tiny trickle of royalties from book sales. The publisher gave someone a three-year option on the film rights, and we've had a small part of that but we've heard nothing about the sale of the rights.

"
I think Predicament was his best book. It was the one I could relate to most easily. It captures the atmosphere of old Hawera."


The book is a racy comedy crime caper, set in the mid-1930s. The opening paragraph reads: "
In those days motorists could fill up with Big Tree gasolene at the blue pump and the only guys with anything like a Beatle haircut were Hitler and one of the Three Stooges."

Venus wrote:Courtesy of WTF, information on a new film Jemaine will be starring in has come through. They're gonna be filming in NZ in July and August

[size=100:dfmzledn]
IE: What is next for you?

Jason: We're currently putting together the finance to shoot a comedy-crime-caper feature film, which has Jemaine Clement from HBO's Flight of the Conchords attached. The New Zealand Film Commission have also funded the writing of a couple of my feature treatments.

The full interview with Jason Stutter can be found here:

More info on the film:

[size=100:dfmzledn]
The Ronald Hugh Morrieson novel Predicament will be filmed in South Taranaki in July-August this year.

A Wellington company, Midnight Productions, has announced plans to make a 90-minute feature film on a budget believed to be between $5 million and $6 million.

The South Taranaki District Council has committed $200,000 to the project and is confident nothing will go wrong.

The investment was made conditional on the movie being filmed in South Taranaki and all funds being raised, says Mayor Ross Dunlop.

"
If the film makes enough money we could get ours back with interest and there's a strong possibility of that, but we think the benefits for the district will be substantial anyway,"
he says.

The NZ Film Commission is also putting money into the film.

Predicament was published in 1974 by the Dunmore Press and is the only one as yet unfilmed of Morrieson's four novels (Came A Hot Friday, Pallet On The Floor and The Scarecrow).

It will be filmed in and around Hawera and Eltham. Production people will start arriving in about two weeks. All cast and crew will be based locally for the seven weeks of filming.

The company publicist, Sue May, declined to name any actors, saying casting and other details will be announced later. However, others associated with the project say a well known star has been signed and the Taranaki Daily News understands Hawera-born actress Nicola Kawana also has a role.

The director is Jason Stutter, who wrote the screenplay and whose latest film Diagnosis Death has been making sales at the Cannes film festival. The producer is Sue Rogers (Home by Christmas, Forgotten Silver, Heaven). Stutter has been working on the project for five years.

The STDC was first approached in early 2007 and reserved the money in its economic development fund after two meetings with the director and producer and their lawyers and financiers. STDC chief executive Craig Stevenson says once all documentation is signed off, the money will be paid into a commercial lawyer's trust account and released to the producer as required.

"
Effectively our money is a grant but there is a possibility of a return if it does well at the box office. The real benefit is the multiplier effect which could be several million dollars into the local economy,"
he said.

"
We said we were not interested in being involved unless it was all go, with the star signed up, director organised and money secured. We have enough checks and balances to be confident it will go ahead. We haven't paid them a cent yet."


This approach contrasts with the aborted Charles Upham movie, which absorbed at least $300,000 of Taranaki public money and an unrevealed amount of private investor money when the company was put into receivership.

Ad Feedback Mr Dunlop says what's special about the project and what appealed to him "
is that this is a South Taranaki story, to be filmed in the area where the author lived and where the action happens in the book. That must be fairly unique"
.

Venture Taranaki was integral to the district securing the project.

VT film project manager Peter Avery said: "
It's going to be very exciting. It will be heavy on atmosphere and will have wide appeal but will be aimed particularly at a young audience. Jason has written a terrific screenplay. I know who the actors will be and I can't talk about it but you'll be surprised."
It's very much a Kiwi-sized budget so I hope the local suppliers and contractors will price their services accordingly.

"
It's going to be a good investment in terms of creating some stimulus for the local economy, investing in a piece of cultural property and the beneficial flow-ons from that. South Taranaki is pretty much known as an economic mono-culture so it will have another string to its bow."


The production company purchased the filming rights from the publisher, Dunmore Press. Half of that goes to Morrieson's three cousins, who all live in Hawera Heather Engelen, Colleen Notman and Shirley Rumney.

Mrs Engelen says they get "
a tiny trickle of royalties from book sales. The publisher gave someone a three-year option on the film rights, and we've had a small part of that but we've heard nothing about the sale of the rights.

"
I think Predicament was his best book. It was the one I could relate to most easily. It captures the atmosphere of old Hawera."


The book is a racy comedy crime caper, set in the mid-1930s. The opening paragraph reads: "
In those days motorists could fill up with Big Tree gasolene at the blue pump and the only guys with anything like a Beatle haircut were Hitler and one of the Three Stooges."

[url=Source][/url]

peripeteia wrote:Hmm...I wonder what kinda look he's gonna have going on if its to be set in the 1930's. I'm hoping for an eyeglass-less, slicked back haired Jemaine in a pinstriped suit...
This is doing wonders for my imagination.

peripeteia wrote:I ordered the novel from Amazon...they had 9 used copies 5 days ago...now...down to 0...

luckym wrote:Jemaine is going to be in "
a racy comedy crime caper, set in the mid-1930s"
??!

Everything about that is right! EVERYTHING!

Conchords star linked to Kiwi film

Jemaine Clement, one half of the world famous Kiwi musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, has been tipped for an acting role in Predicament.

Predicament, the only remaining unfilmed novel by Hawera author Ronald Hugh Morrieson, is being produced in South Taranaki by Midnight Productions, with seven weeks of filming due to start next month.

Midnight Productions did not respond to a request for confirmation that Clement has a role.

But Clement's involvement was leaked through a Conchords fan club website, which quoted an interview with Predicament director Jason Stutter where he said: "
We're currently putting together the finance to shoot a comedy-crime-caper feature film, which has Jemaine Clement from HBO's Flight of the Conchords attached."


Clement has so far acted in nine movies, the most recent Stutter's Diagnosis Death, filmed secretly in Wellington last year. This has been described as a Jackson-esque horror spoof about people who start hallucinating after experimental cancer treatment. United States and British distributors bought rights to the film at the Cannes festival in May.

The announcement of Predicament said it was being aimed at a young audience, but there has been no information released about who will play the lead roles, which include two voluptuous women in steamy sex scenes.

The production company is planning an official launch, at which casting and other details of the movie will be announced.

If Clement, 35, is signed up for Predicament, it's likely he will play one of the leading male characters, Cedric Williamson or Mervyn Toebeck.

The film company is now setting up a full production base in central Hawera, in the disused former Warehouse building, with a workforce of up to 50 people, and set building has begun.

[size=100:ldjjp1da]But Clement's involvement was leaked through a Conchords fan club website, which quoted an interview with Predicament director Jason Stutter where he said: "
We're currently putting together the finance to shoot a comedy-crime-caper feature film, which has Jemaine Clement from HBO's Flight of the Conchords attached."

[size=100:ldjjp1da]... steamy sex scenes. ...

[size=100:fz410l88]... steamy sex scenes. ...

If Clement, 35, is signed up for Predicament, it's likely he will play one of the leading male characters, Cedric Williamson or Mervyn Toebeck.

gezyka wrote:

[size=100:luqcv885]... steamy sex scenes. ...

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[size=133:dzyj8bnl]Party to kick off filming

By RICHARD WOODD - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 01/07/2009

[size=100:dzyj8bnl]There's so little public activity you'd hardly know a full-length feature film was being made in South Taranaki, but that's all about to change.

The South Taranaki District Council is laying on a welcome party next Friday for the 50-odd cast and crew of Midnight Productions, who are involved in the making of Predicament.

Invited guests will get a chance to meet the star (as yet unnamed but almost certainly Jemaine Clement, one half of the Flight of the Conchords), the director and screenplay writer Jason Stutter and producer Sue Rogers.

A new clue to the star's identity is the latest reprint of Ronald Hugh Morrieson's novel by Dunmore Publishing, which has a black-haired, black horn-rimmed spectacled chap on the cover that strongly suggests Clement in the lead role of Cedric Williamson.

Company publicist Sue May says everything is going according to schedule with filming starting in mid-July and running through to August, at unidentified locations through the district. However, they are urgently looking for more crew accommodation.

"
We need good quality furnished houses in Hawera that are available to rent. This is because although the motels are very helpful, and we are using them, we seem to have booked out the whole town and we have more people still to accommodate,"
she says.

Anyone able to help should contact Gerald Langford, communications manager at the STDC.

Set building is in full swing in the old Warehouse building right in the centre of Hawera, but the windows have been covered over.

One thing that is known is the director has asked Taranaki Newspapers to print a 200-copy run of a special newspaper, called The Harperton Herald, so obviously something in the movie is going to make headlines.

The big unknown is: Whose house will be used to represent the Williamson family home?

[size=100:6lrnm6al]A new clue to the star's identity is the latest reprint of Ronald Hugh Morrieson's novel by Dunmore Publishing, which has a black-haired, black horn-rimmed spectacled chap on the cover that strongly suggests Clement in the lead role of Cedric Williamson.

Amily wrote:

[size=100:xru6rgec]A new clue to the star's identity is the latest reprint of Ronald Hugh Morrieson's novel by Dunmore Publishing, which has a black-haired, black horn-rimmed spectacled chap on the cover that strongly suggests Clement in the lead role of Cedric Williamson.

Amily wrote:

[size=100:nud2wer9]A new clue to the star's identity is the latest reprint of Ronald Hugh Morrieson's novel by Dunmore Publishing, which has a black-haired, black horn-rimmed spectacled chap on the cover that strongly suggests Clement in the lead role of Cedric Williamson.